Joonmyun sneezes loudly.

Yixing frowns worriedly, and hands him another tissue. “I’ve tried everything. Why isn’t he getting better?”

“Maybe you’re not very good with colds yet?” suggests Jongin. “You could be good at injuries only or something.”

“I cured my little cousins’ colds all the time when I was back in China,” says Yixing, and Joonmyun sneezes again, letting out a terrible-sounding groan, making Yixing turn to him and coo, “Come on, I’m taking you to the resident Healer. No point in you staying here and suffering, you poor thing.”

Joonmyun can barely say anything in reply; he just lets Yixing lead him away.

The rest of the table glance after them in worry. 

“Joonmyun never gets sick,” says Amber, frowning. “Water Manipulators have a natural defence against sicknesses. How is he still ill after a whole week?”

“Don’t know,” says Jongdae, “but it looks like he’s not the only one.”

A single look around the cafeteria can prove that. A few tables over, another kid is sniffling into a handkerchief. On the other end of the cafeteria, one of the mean kids from Kyungsoo’s class is glaring at his friends, who are scooting away further every time he sneezes.

“Hope we don’t get infected with whatever it is,” says Lu Han, and he pushes Joonmyun’s tray to the end of the table. “It’s almost exam season. And Joonmyun’s probably going to flip if he’s still sick even then.”

Sehun, a small sulky freshman who’d just starting to hang around them, says, “I think I’m falling ill next.”

Everyone turns their attention to him. “How do you know?” asks Baekhyun curiously.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Sehun sniffs. “Everyone who’s falling sick is a Manipulator. I’m already starting to feel something building up in my nose, and I’m a Manipulator. Thus, I’m infected too.” He stands up, and tugs at Kyungsoo and Jongin’s sleeves. “On second thought, you both better take me to the Healer too.”

“Why us?” asks Kyungsoo.

“Because Jongin won’t go without you, duh,” says Sehun, impatiently tugging, and without much ado, they follow after the kid. Bossy little thing, thinks Jongdae.

“He’s right, though,” murmurs Lu Han, “Joonmyun’s a Manipulator. So are the other sick students in the cafeteria. Some of them are in my class.”

“Is there some sort of Manipulator-specific disease?” wonders Chanyeol, and Baekhyun racks his brain for the answer.

“Never heard of one before…” he says slowly, “but what if it’s just come about? There might not be a proper cure for it yet.”

Jongdae feels uneasy. “Guys… all of you are technically Manipulators, aren’t you?”

“We’ll be fine,” shrugs off Chanyeol, “we’re like, barely there. It won’t affect us.”

“Glad I’m safe, then,” comments Lu Han, “since mind powers are just what they are. Mind powers.”

He’s not too sure why it is, but Jongdae is still concerned, and even though the rest of them feel that they’re safe from infection, he has a gut feeling that this isn’t going to end well.

Kyungsoo falls sick soon after, and doesn’t come to school. 

Jongdae takes to visiting him and bringing his homework, though he soon relegates the job to Jongin instead, who has it easier (he can just pop over to Kyungsoo’s place in a flash, using his teleportation powers). 

The table is subdued and solemn after that, with only Jongdae, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, Soojung, Jongin and Lu Han there. Joonmyun’s been admitted into the hospital, along with a bunch of other students, and Sehun has also been confined to home, including Minseok and Amber, who only recently fell sick.

“They’ll find a cure,” reassures Baekhyun, day after day, and the school is beginning to look like their table, all quiet and sad and worried. Even the teachers are distracted during classes, and some of the Manipulator teachers even miss class, too sick to teach.

The situation becomes scary when Chanyeol sneezes just a little too loudly in class one day, and says, “Oh , guys,” and the entire class freezes in place, the other sub-Manipulators letting out harsh hisses.

Jongdae worries himself pale, and knows now that nobody’s safe from the sickness. If even sub-Manipulators can get affected, what’s going to happen to the rest of them?

Soojung is visibly upset when Chanyeol is quarantined to home, and Baekhyun begins to sound less and less cheery each day, and Jongdae watches everything happen sadly, not knowing what’s causing it, and not knowing whether it’ll be one of them next.

Then, Soojung starts missing school, and Baekhyun looks paler than usual, and Jongdae knows they’ve been infected with it. 

“Jongdae,” says Baekhyun one morning, in the hallway, barely three days after Soojung’s fallen ill, and his steps are faltering, “Jongdae.”

He turns just in time to see Baekhyun slump against the lockers, and Jongdae surges forward to catch Baekhyun before he stumbles to the ground, and he’s heating up, “Christ,” swears Jongdae, and the other students gasp in horror, a few running to get a teacher. “Baekhyun, Baekhyun, please, come on.”

“Hurts,” says Baekhyun faintly, and Jongdae just holds him in his arms until help arrives.

“How are your friends?” asks his mother over dinner some nights later, frowning. Jongdae can tell that she’s just as worried about them as he is. She’s known Chanyeol and his parents even before Chanyeol was born, and he’s just as much her kid as Jongdae is theirs. “Kyungsoo? Soojung as well?”

“Both of them are getting worse,” says Jongdae dolefully, and he stabs his rice with his chopsticks. “Chanyeol’s still smiling, but he won’t mention how much it hurts.”

“And your Baekhyun?”

Bits of rice come flying out of his mouth. Jongdae splutters. “My what?“

“Baekhyun.” His mother levels him with a look. “The one you forgot to tell me you’re dating?”

Jongdae is silent for more than a few seconds. “Sorry, mum,” he says quietly. “Please don’t tell Jongdeok.”

She takes in the dejected expression on his face, and sighs. “Jongdae, dear, you know I’m fine with you liking another boy. I’m just disappointed that you didn’t tell me.”

“I was just scared, I guess, I’m sorry,” he mumbles into his plate, and she reaches over to ruffle his hair lightly. “But please don’t tell him, okay?”

“Okay, kid, okay.” Her face softens. “But how is Baekhyun, anyway?”

Jongdae’s face twists into something painful. “He’s not getting any better,” he whispers, and in his memory, flashes of Baekhyun’s pale face appear, and he swallows thickly. “He looked so sick the other day, even when I went over to check on him, he’s not even glowing anymore, mum, he—“ Jongdae cuts off, biting his lip, and his mother rests a hand on his shoulder.

“He’ll be alright,” she says comfortingly, the same voice she uses with her sons when one of them falls down, or is upset with the other, or when something bad happens. “They’ll be alright.”

A few days later, they find out that the illness is being caused by a widespread bacteria, specially created by a villain to target Manipulators. Originally the bacteria was only meant to infect more powerful Manipulators, but when it got leaked through an air vent, it just went crazy.

But now that they’ve found out the source, a cure can be worked out. And that’s the best news Jongdae has heard in a long, long time.

Jongdae hugs his mother, and sets off to visit everyone else.

“Does this mean that a cure is coming?” breathes Chanyeol, looking less sunken than he’d been for the past two weeks, and Jongdae smiles, nodding quickly, and laughs when Chanyeol whoops, and starts coughing.

“Thank goodness,” says Kyungsoo, his voice a wisp of what it was previously, “my face feels like it could fall off at any second, and I don’t think Jongin would appreciate that.”

“I think he’d still like you no matter what,” teases Jongdae, and Kyungsoo snorts, attempting to swat him away.

“Finally,” scowls Soojung, and she turns the other way. “Now get out of my room. And thanks, Jongdae.” Her voice softens. “You’re a good friend.”

He visits Baekhyun the last, and Mr. Byun, a kindly man, nods understandingly at him, and says, “I’ve already told him of the possible cure.”

“Okay,” says Jongdae, smiling, “thank you for letting me visit, Mr. Byun.”

“And thank you for coming over.” Mr. Byun adjusts his glasses. “Baekhyun’s never had very caring friends, and now he has all of you, and I’m glad.”

Jongdae smiles again, this time brighter. “I’m glad for that too.”

He climbs upstairs and knocks on Baekhyun’s room door before pushing it open. 

Baekhyun is sitting up in bed, apparently in the middle of tearing a book apart with his eyes, and Jongdae just chuckles. So typical of Baekhyun to study even when he’s bedridden.

“Making sure nobody usurps your throne, I see,” comments Jongdae lightly, and when Baekhyun looks up and smiles, Jongdae grins back, the widest his smile has been all day, and he thinks his face might snap in half if he keeps this up. “Hey.”

“Hey,” replies Baekhyun weakly, “missed you.”

Jongdae sits on the edge of his bed, and leans down to press a light kiss to Baekhyun’s forehead. Baekhyun pouts, and says, “I was hoping for a little more sugar than that.”

“So demanding,” sighs Jongdae, and he kisses Baekhyun on the lips.

Baekhyun practically purrs in response, and murmurs against Jongdae’s mouth, “Things will be back to normal soon enough.”

“They will,” breathes Jongdae, and he kisses Baekhyun again, and again, and again, until Baekhyun is laughing breathlessly, and so is Jongdae, and Jongdae feels like things already are right, with him and Baekhyun right here, together, and he curls their fingers together tight.

It’s only half an hour later, when he’s lying next to Baekhyun in the bed, chin on Baekhyun’s shoulder as he follows along with the text that Baekhyun’s scanning through, that Jongdae feels an itch in his nose, and he turns away to sneeze. Several times.

“Excuse me,” he says, rubbing at his nose, and Baekhyun is staring at him when he turns back. “What?”

“You’re falling sick,” he says, tone becoming excited, “you’re falling sick, Jongdae!”

Jongdae stares at him like he’s grown a third head. “What does that have to do with anyt—“

It hits him right there and then. 

“Well, me sideways with a chainsaw,” says Jongdae in shock, “I actually have a power?”

“You’re a Manipulator too,” sings Baekhyun merrily, and he rolls over to pepper kisses across Jongdae’s face. “Congratulations.”

Jongdae sniffs, and pulls a tissue from Baekhyun’s bedside table. “Well, why hasn’t anything manifested yet?”

“Give it time,” says Baekhyun, and he’s smiling so widely that Jongdae can’t help but smile too, even though he feels like a headache is coming on, fast and furious. “It’s going to be something incredible, I can just tell.”

When Jongdae gets home, the first thing he does is find his mother, and she’s sitting in the living room with Jongdeok, and both of them glance up when he rushes in noisily. 

“Guess what?” Jongdae grins, dropping his bag on the floor. “I fell sick today.”

“Why are you so happy about catching a cold?” frowns Jongdeok, but his mother is already piecing together his words, and Jongdae is still grinning.

“Not any old cold.” Jongdae sneezes. “Excuse me.”

“You’ve got the illness!” says his mother in shock. “Oh, Jongdae, how?”

“I have no idea,” laughs Jongdae, “but this is great! I’m not completely useless after all.”

“Jongdae, you were never useless.” His mother gets up and hugs him, and smiles. “Congrats, dear.”

His brother is smiling too. “Congrats, kiddo. Knew you had something in you.”

“Now, it’s just a matter of waiting for it to appear,” says his mother happily, and Jongdae’s never been this excited in his life.